How to Be Captain of a Wrestling Team

European settlers brought the wrestling tradition to the New World. They found that the Native Americans practiced the sport as well. In America, however, the sport evolved into the “folkstyle,” or catch-as-catch-can form, that is the standard for scholastic and collegiate wrestling today. Early wrestlers include the father of our country, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln, the president who kept the republic intact. Later notable Americans involved in the sport include General Norman Schwarzkopf, who wrestled at the U.S. Military Academy. These leaders represent everything you need to know about being the captain of a wrestling team.

Instructions

    • 1

      Lead by example. It sounds cliché but it’s not. Stay out of trouble. Keep your grades as high as possible. Drop weight in a healthy manner. Encourage the rest of the team to do the same.

    • 2

      Be a mentor to young wrestlers. Any experienced wrestler can see the potential of a new wrestler. Encourage development. Help. Nothing works better than an older wrestler taking a freshman wrestler under his wing. It is a boost of confidence for all parties and a signal to the coach that you want the squad to succeed.

    • 3

      Negotiate conflict resolution. Fifty guys in a room working as hard as they can and sweating out that last pound to make weight are generally irritable. Tempers get out of hand. Testosterone rages. Learn to quell that situation with rational thought and explanation. Be polite but direct.

    • 4

      Motivate the team. Wrestling, per se, is not a team sport. When you are on the mat with an opponent, there isn’t anybody who can help you but you. Yet, you can be as supportive as possible to whoever is on the mat.

    • 5

      Understand that discretion is the better part of valor. This seems like another cliché but it’s simply modesty. If you manhandle an opponent, let the referee raise your hand as the winner. Then go shake hands with the opposing coach. Do not showboat. Excessive celebration is the mark of a narcissist.